By Alex Gonzalez

"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" is coming back!  Yes, the popular game show that became a hit worldwide will be returning this August to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of its debut in 1999.  The show will bring back Regis Philbin as host, as well as the lifelines we grew to love, like the audience poll, the 50/50, and the phone-a-friend highlight.

Now don't celebrate too much, though.  The show will only be on for a couple of weeks.  However, if the ratings do well in the dog days of August, the show might come back every few months to liven up TV. 

I know what you're thinking.  They must have brought it back because of how successful "Slumdog Millionaire" was, right?  While that's not the confirmed reason for the return of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," we can jump to our own conclusions there.  I know for sure that "Slumdog Millionaire" winning 8 Oscars had people wondering whether the real "Millionaire" would ever return to television.  According to ABC alternative co-chief John Saade, executives at ABC had wanted to bring back the show one more time anyway, Slumdog or no Slumdog.

"Anyone who remembers the original remembers how special it was. It really felt like an event," Mr. Saade said. "It broke every conventional rule of the time. It elevated the game show to this single-person, high-stakes drama."

While Regis Philbin is the man most associated with "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," perhaps Anil Kapoor should be brought in to host an episode, just to show people why it was the perfect game show to use in "Slumdog Millionaire."  Maybe in a bit of a role reversal, Dev Patel should host it with Anil Kapoor being the contestant.  This time, Anil Kapoor gets to find out what it feels like to have his intelligence questioned after getting a bunch of questions right.  It probably won't happen, but it's a cool suggestion nonetheless.  That's my final answer at least.

"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" originated in the UK in 1998 and then made its way to the US in 1999.  It became the most watched show on ABC and was a major tool in showcasing other TV shows.   The show's ratings started to fall in 2002 and it soon became a daytime game show with talk show host Meredith Viera as host.  The show runs in syndication to this day, though the primetime version of the show has not aired new episodes since 2004.  11 contestants have won the $1 million prize.

"Who wants to be a Millionaire" should have never gone off the air in the first place.  It found its niche here.  It was like "Jeopardy!," "Wheel of Fortune," "The Price Is Right," and other classic game shows.  Those shows you never consider cancelling, so there was no point in getting rid of "Millionaire."  I just hope my other favorite game show "Deal or No Deal," suffers the same fate.  If "Slumdog Millionaire" didn't serve any other purpose, at least it brought the show back one more time.

So what do you guys think about "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" coming back?  Do you think "Slumdog Millionaire" had something to do with it or is the effect that movie had on this show minimal?  Will you watch it when it comes back in August?  Let us know what you think.